British sailors charged in sex assault at Halifax base

HALIFAX— Four members of the British navy have been charged with sexual assault causing bodily harm at a Canadian Forces base in Halifax.

Crown attorney Scott Morrison said Friday outside court that the British sailors are alleged to have participated in a “group sexual assault” in a barracks at CFB Shearwater on April 10.

He says the men were arrested Thursday morning and were in Nova Scotia participating in a hockey tournament with local Armed Forces personnel.

A court document shows all four men who have been charged with sexually assaulting a woman are from the United Kingdom.

It lists them as Craig Stoner, 24, of Stonehouse; Darren Smalley, 35, of Gosport; Joshua Finbow, 23, of Broughton Stockbridge; and Simon Radford, 31, of Lower Gosport.

Morrison said all of the men are British citizens.

A duty counsel lawyer is negotiating with the Crown on bail terms and the men are scheduled to return to court on Monday to continue those negotiations, Morrison said. The Crown has to determine whether they can be released and whether that would include allowing them to return to the U.K., Morrison added.

The men are being held at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Halifax.

Morrison declined to release any details about the complainant in the case.

Maj. Yves Desbiens, a spokesman for the Canadian Forces Military Police Group, said the allegations are serious and the complainant is a civilian.

“This is more than undesired touching,” he said. “This is taken very seriously. . . . We will continue to work hard to bring this matter to a court.”